feel the heat: urban engagement session

urbanaries

From this weekend...we took this smokin' couple out on a city adventure with a goal to capture their hip, artsy personalities. If you haven't yet, check out my assistant's B-roll shots! C&C welcome and appreciated.

First 5 are off camera 580EX with lumiquest ultrasoft (I cut out the diffusing material for outdoor use) camera right. Others are natural light (sun low in horizon)

1.


2. Thanks, Scott....I finally got the kiss tute right (i think?)


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


thanks for looking!
-lynne

nonilady

omg,they are all awesome!!

but if you insist on which is my favourite, i have got to say that it's no. 9.

something about it = love,pride, sensitivity, softness, emotion. the heat is on

well done!

Elaine

Another fab set from Ms. Lynne! Love the doors in #8, and I also LOVE #9 (I wonder about cloning out the lines above her head and going for a totally clean background? ). I would never have known you used flash! Love your stuff, Lynne! Please keep sharing it!

k2butter

Those are awsome!!!!! I really want her dress!!!

urbanaries

nonilady wrote:

omg,they are all awesome!!

but if you insist on which is my favourite, i have got to say that it's no. 9.

something about it = love,pride, sensitivity, softness, emotion. the heat is on

well done!

thanks noni!!! I am so flattered you got all those descriptors from that one shot. That is definitely the goal! thanks for commenting.

urbanaries

Elaine wrote:

Another fab set from Ms. Lynne! Love the doors in #8, and I also LOVE #9 (I wonder about cloning out the lines above her head and going for a totally clean background? ). I would never have known you used flash! Love your stuff, Lynne! Please keep sharing it!

Funny, I had no idea 9 would go over so well! I have debated about that line, too. I was afraid it would look like they're floating? But I think you may be right. If they order it I will ask them which they prefer. They requested an in-person ordering session (will be my first) so I am really excited to see how that goes!

I'm also glad you didn't notice the flash in the first 5. Folks here gave me a lot of helpful feedback about off camera flash last time around, I tried to absorb and implement it! That's what's so great about Dgrin.

Thanks Elaine for commenting!

saurora

Wopw Lynne, you truly nailed these!!! Numbers 2, 4 and 9 are smokin'!!!! You definitely got the kiss down to a science! Love them all, very fresh and hip. Number 9 is my favorite as well....she seems to be saying "Hands off...he's mine!"

Seneca

Excellent.

gregneil

These are all awesome! I'm sure they're going to love your work. You asked for a critique, so I'm going to go ahead and give a few of my first impressions. These are certainly better than anything I could do right now, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt - I may not know what I'm talking about.

1. I like the brick background, it's a great texture. It looks like it was shot from a slight angle instead of straight on. The lines at the top of the shot angle slightly down and to the left, where on the bottom they're straight. I think straight on would have worked a little better.

2. Great. I don't really have anything to nit-pick here except that maybe you could tone down the red in his skin a little.

3. This one doesn't really do much for me... it feels like the stoplight and the one way sign are trying to frame the couple, but since they're so much closer to the one way sign it doesn't quite work. It's a cute expression on her face, so maybe a different crop would work better? Cut out the stoplight completely and don't worry about cutting part of the one-way sign. I don't know if that would work, but it's what I would try...

4. I really like this one... great use of angle on the shot. Her eyes are so dark I can't tell if they're open or closed... There may be a way to bring out some shadow detail on the eye using a mask in PS.

5. The colors in this one aren't quite working for me... maybe because the background has that nice sunset glow but they've got natural color balance from the flash? I really don't know what it is, but it just feels a tad "off" to me. Wish I could nail it down...

6. I love this shot. I love the way the backlighting is working, especially on her face and hair. I wish there wasn't a pole coming out of his head, but it's not that distracting. Excellent.

7. Cool shot. I wish the door wasn't all banged up - it draws too much attention to itself, but other than that, looks great.

8. I like this too. I wonder what the same shot would look like shot straight on instead of looking a little up at them?

9. A stunner. Great detail in his hair. I agree with other comments that you might try cloning out the line.

10. I think this is a cool shot too, with the blinds in the background... I just wish the reflection wasn't so strong in the window. Aren't you supposed to be able to use a polarizer filter to tone down glass reflections? I've never tried it, but I think that's true...

Overall, these are just fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

nonilady

urbanaries wrote:

thanks noni!!! I am so flattered you got all those descriptors from that one shot. That is definitely the goal! thanks for commenting.

bow

urbanaries

AWESOME, AWESOME feedback! Thanks Greg!!!

gregneil wrote:

1. I like the brick background, it's a great texture. It looks like it was shot from a slight angle instead of straight on. The lines at the top of the shot angle slightly down and to the left, where on the bottom they're straight. I think straight on would have worked a little better.

Totally agree. I need a wider lens for shots like this. When I shot them straight on, I didn't like the compositions as much. The weed balancing them out is totally intentional. I was sitting on the ground for this particular shot.

gregneil wrote:

2. Great. I don't really have anything to nit-pick here except that maybe you could tone down the red in his skin a little.

Agreed, will do this as well as some skin smoothing when they order (they've already declared a 10x20 is in order for this one!)

gregneil wrote:

3. This one doesn't really do much for me... it feels like the stoplight and the one way sign are trying to frame the couple, but since they're so much closer to the one way sign it doesn't quite work. It's a cute expression on her face, so maybe a different crop would work better? Cut out the stoplight completely and don't worry about cutting part of the one-way sign. I don't know if that would work, but it's what I would try...

I may have to cite "artistic differences" with you on this one! ! This was a candid shot and if I had moved them, the moment would have been gone. (I did, and it was.) I will look at a different crop though. I do agree with you and wish the one way sign was further from them, but I am not sure about cropping through it? Is that what you're saying?

gregneil wrote:

4. I really like this one... great use of angle on the shot. Her eyes are so dark I can't tell if they're open or closed... There may be a way to bring out some shadow detail on the eye using a mask in PS.

Yep, I totally agree and will try that! her eyeliner/shadow was so dark, along with darker eyes, it was a challenge to light up her eyes, for sure.

gregneil wrote:

5. The colors in this one aren't quite working for me... maybe because the background has that nice sunset glow but they've got natural color balance from the flash? I really don't know what it is, but it just feels a tad "off" to me. Wish I could nail it down...

I think you are right. If I was able to avoid flash this would have turned out better. OR, if I would have gelled the flash. That is one critique I have definitely had before, and I haven't gotten around to testing it out in the warm sunset light. whooops....:hide

gregneil wrote:

6. I love this shot. I love the way the backlighting is working, especially on her face and hair. I wish there wasn't a pole coming out of his head, but it's not that distracting. Excellent.

Aww! I'd have to say this is one of my personal faves. I am glad it resonates!!! the pole is easily cloned out, for sure.

gregneil wrote:

7. Cool shot. I wish the door wasn't all banged up - it draws too much attention to itself, but other than that, looks great.

I appreciate your feedback here, I wasn't sure if the "weathered" door was adding to the pic or detracting. Great feedback!!! thanks!

gregneil wrote:

8. I like this too. I wonder what the same shot would look like shot straight on instead of looking a little up at them?

the difficult thing about on location/street photography is balancing how much gear to schlep around. I do wish I had shot this one from straight on (would have required ~4 ft ladder).

gregneil wrote:

9. A stunner. Great detail in his hair. I agree with other comments that you might try cloning out the line.

duly noted!

gregneil wrote:

10. I think this is a cool shot too, with the blinds in the background... I just wish the reflection wasn't so strong in the window. Aren't you supposed to be able to use a polarizer filter to tone down glass reflections? I've never tried it, but I think that's true...

I see what you're saying, and a polarizer would have helped. I'm not sure the exposure could have dealt with the loss, but it is something to consider next time! Thanks for pointing that out.

gregneil wrote:

Overall, these are just fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

Thank YOU for giving such helpful critique!! It really does help us grow. These things seep in, and affect how you shoot the next time, even if you don't consciously notice why or where you got the idea.

jeffreaux2

Wow..............WWOOWW!!

These are all very nicely done, but....2, 4, and 6 are...for me stunning. The kiss shot 2 does a very good job of showing off her hair texture...and of course the kiss itself is perfect. You made an excellent choice of aperature for that nice sharpness all the way through your subjects, yet the wall is a bit blurry....very well done.

I really like the angle in 4.....the composition would be weaker if you hadn't tilted it.

6 It is tought to beat a well executed backlit portrait.....unless it is a portrait of a couple who are obviously in love(hence the embrace) and have such unashamed happiness in their expressions. Beautiful capture, and the BW conversion earns bonus points. Excellent my dear!!!

Shay Stephens

This is awesome. What you have done is captured their personality, quirks, and emotion, and not just their physical appearance. #6 and #7 for me are just really magical. And the urban scene with it's distractions and directions (the one way sign is awesome metaphore) is really cool too. I am assuming they probably requested an urban look, and if so they will really enjoy your capturing that feel for them.

At the end of seeing just these few photos I feel like I know them a little bit. Their freinds and family will no doubt recognize far more about the photos that reminds them of the two love birds. A fantastically emotion job!

photogmomma

You already know I think these rock! They are AWESOME!!! My ONLY gripe is the color in #5 - way too yellow, I think. Maybe. ! But the color is definitely off.

I would LOVE to pick a fave, but I can't. Ilove the feet, as you know, and #9 is amazing.

It's so cool seeing you in your true element where the client and you just CLICK! Awesome!

DavidS

Wow! Great series. I love the composition, the lighting and what you captured of their spirit.

gregneil

urbanaries wrote:

AWESOME, AWESOME feedback! Thanks Greg!!!

<snip>

Thank YOU for giving such helpful critique!! It really does help us grow. These things seep in, and affect how you shoot the next time, even if you don't consciously notice why or where you got the idea. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Glad to help where I can... I think sometimes when I'm mulling over photos I spend too much time sweating minor details instead of stepping back and feeling the overall effect of the picture. So, what Shay said... the way you captured the emotion is perfect. I'll learn a lot from your work!

urbanaries

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Wow..............WWOOWW!!

These are all very nicely done, but....2, 4, and 6 are...for me stunning. The kiss shot 2 does a very good job of showing off her hair texture...and of course the kiss itself is perfect. You made an excellent choice of aperature for that nice sharpness all the way through your subjects, yet the wall is a bit blurry....very well done.

I really like the angle in 4.....the composition would be weaker if you hadn't tilted it.

6 It is tought to beat a well executed backlit portrait.....unless it is a portrait of a couple who are obviously in love(hence the embrace) and have such unashamed happiness in their expressions. Beautiful capture, and the BW conversion earns bonus points. Excellent my dear!!!

Wow, Jeff, thank YOU for the compliments! Coming from you that is high praise indeed!

I am thrilled everyone loves #6, I hope the client does too, but even if they don't, I'm still very happy with how it turned out. I've seen other photographers leverage backlighting and sun flare and this is my best attempt so far. (failed miserably a number of times!) The pole atop his head has got to go, though.

urbanaries

Shay Stephens wrote:

This is awesome. What you have done is captured their personality, quirks, and emotion, and not just their physical appearance. #6 and #7 for me are just really magical. And the urban scene with it's distractions and directions (the one way sign is awesome metaphore) is really cool too. I am assuming they probably requested an urban look, and if so they will really enjoy your capturing that feel for them.

At the end of seeing just these few photos I feel like I know them a little bit. Their freinds and family will no doubt recognize far more about the photos that reminds them of the two love birds. A fantastically emotion job!

you know it's hard to shut me up, but you've rendered me speechless! HOLY MACARONI!!!!

thanks for being such a humble and giving inspiration to us all. bow

evoryware

#3 I think is fine as is especially because you are going for urban. Streetlights and construction say city to me.

#5, almost looks like you shot it in a studio and used a scenery muslin for the background the way you flashed it; also because the flash appears to be coming the opposite direction of the sun? The stuff behind the pole (not so much the writing on the pole due to the theme) is distracting. Their smiles are priceless.

#4 is apparently the same lighting but looks much more natural to my eye. Maybe you could do the same conversion to #5 w/ a slight crop?


#9 is my favorite of the bunch followed closely by #2!

urbanaries

photogmomma wrote:

You already know I think these rock! They are AWESOME!!! My ONLY gripe is the color in #5 - way too yellow, I think. Maybe. ! But the color is definitely off.

I definitely need to revisit that warm amber series...I was going for that feel in the colors, but you're right it's still off.

photogmomma wrote:

It's so cool seeing you in your true element where the client and you just CLICK! Awesome!

It is interesting you say this. You know the greatest thing I learned from Shay and Jennifer? The way they evaluated client fit, pricing and being "choosy" when it comes to clients. I, too had a horrible wedding shoot after WPBC. And it was because I had booked them long ago, and they were the WRONG client for me, 110%.

At WPBC, I cornered Jennifer more than once to get some personal advice on closing sales. I had had several sales meetings that went no where, and was getting frustrated. You know what she told me? I needed to raise my prices. And while it may seem counter intuitive, what happened a week after WPBC is I closed *this* deal...my first market-value priced wedding. (Up against the big names in the area as far as price).

End result: I have never had a couple more engaged (pun intended) in the portrait session than this one. They completely trusted and respected my craft, and I am absolutely ANTSY to shoot their wedding in December.

Contrast that with a wedding I did a few weeks ago, for "budget" prices, and the bride gave me four page list of required shots, and when we did her bridal portrait session her mom instructed me to put the bride in front of the altar, big chapel train arranged immaculately, smelling her flowers wistfully...if you catch my drift.

Sorry for my long-windedness...I really hope someone finds my diatribe useful.

One more quote for good measure...
"Art is not a commodity!" - Shay Stephens

saurora

Urbanaries wrote:

I cornered Jennifer more than once to get some personal advice on closing sales. I had had several sales meetings that went no where, and was getting frustrated. You know what she told me? I needed to raise my prices. And while it may seem counter intuitive, what happened a week after WPBC is I closed this deal...my first market value priced wedding. (Up against the big names in the area as far as price).

Great info Lynne. I'm so happy for you it's "working out". Raising prices is not so counter intuitive as one might think if you consider that (1) if you don't value your own work ...who will? and (2) just why is your work so much cheaper than everyone else? Do you not know your stuff????. While we all think everyone doesn't want to pay high prices for a wedding photographer (and let's face it, they don't) they do want the very best job possible and expect to pay the going rate.

anwmn1

A great shoot.

I like that you captured several different emotions in these. These are photos that will make anyone smile. They will love looking at these years later!

urbanaries

saurora wrote:

Great info Lynne. I'm so happy for you it's "working out". Raising prices is not so counter intuitive as one might think if you consider that (1) if you don't value your own work ...who will? and (2) just why is your work so much cheaper than everyone else? Do you not know your stuff????. While we all think everyone doesn't want to pay high prices for a wedding photographer (and let's face it, they don't) they do want the very best job possible and expect to pay the going rate.

Thanks Saurora!! You are so right.

and, did you notice the high pass filter/vivid light sharpening technique? THANKS!!

urbanaries

anwmn1 wrote:

A great shoot.

I like that you captured several different emotions in these. These are photos that will make anyone smile. They will love looking at these years later!

thanks, Aaron for your kind words!

saurora

urbanaries wrote:

Thanks Saurora!! You are so right.

and, did you notice the high pass filter/vivid light sharpening technique? THANKS!!

I noticed your shots look extra punchy!

leaforte

#7 is really cool. I'm not sure if I would see the personality in it, without the other shots, but I'm sure the couple loves this shot.

jeffreaux2

urbanaries wrote:

Wow, Jeff, thank YOU for the compliments! Coming from you that is high praise indeed!

I am thrilled everyone loves #6, I hope the client does too, but even if they don't, I'm still very happy with how it turned out. I've seen other photographers leverage backlighting and sun flare and this is my best attempt so far. (failed miserably a number of times!) The pole atop his head has got to go, though.

Well I am an average hack with a camera, so does this mean I am too tough on my critiques?

I really thought these were refreshing. True love exists afterall.

urbanaries

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Well I am an average hack with a camera, so does this mean I am too tough on my critiques?

quite the opposite...I found your recent on location work with very similar equipment to mine to be incredibly well lit and inspiring. I really respect your work so I am flattered by your compliments. In no way did I mean it as a dig?!?

jeffreaux2

urbanaries wrote:

quite the opposite...I found your recent on location work with very similar equipment to mine to be incredibly well lit and inspiring. I really respect your work so I am flattered by your compliments. In no way did I mean it as a dig?!?

Hmmmm.......for some reason my sense of humour cannot be projected over the internet. It wasn't taken as a dig. I just don't take compliments so well.
Call me humble? Call me anal?(about my photography), Just don't call me late for supper!!!

urbanaries

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Hmmmm.......for some reason my sense of humour cannot be projected over the internet. It wasn't taken as a dig. I just don't take compliments so well.
Call me humble? Call me anal?(about my photography), Just don't call me late for supper!!!

no worries, mon! (where's the rasta smiley?):cavig

Scott_Quier

This is, indeed, a smokin' set. Love them!

1. Against the wall - I like this one. You say you used flash, but I don't see any sign of it. Well done.
2. The Kiss - yeah, I think you have it. I get the sense that she's more into it than he is - I think it's the position of his eyes under his eye-lids? :shrug I like the cropping on this as well.
3. Love the expressions. The vignette works well here!
4. This is my favorite of the set. He's into the shot and I can feel the emotion/romance here. I also get a sense of a very subdued aggressiveness on her part. WOW
5. I would crop this differently - tighten it up on the left to remove a bit of the pole but leave enough to know what it is. The left edge, as is, is quite distracting for me, especially with the white spot opposite of the graffatti.
6. Makes me wonder what it is that they are looking at. I'm sure they will remember whatever it is, and that's the important part. Nice timing.
7. Not sure I like this one. Her stance makes her look bow-legged and a bit pidgeon-toed.
8. Nice, but doesn't do much for me.
9. This is standard fare, but very well done.
10. Love the laughter!

A last comment - Like Shay says, as a result of viewing these I also get a sense of who they are. Your clients and their family will love these because they will see the couple in the images.

WOW